Entrepreneurship is an integral part of NC State’s culture. At the second annual Wells Fargo Pitch to the Pack competition, students are able to foster their entrepreneurial spirit and present their ideas in hopes of gaining support for their venture. This year, the competition was opened up from just Wilson College of Textiles students to anyone in the country working on a textile based business.

In order to be considered for the final presentation, competitors were required to attend a “How to Make a Pitch Session” and create a video submission of their pitch. With 44 initial applications, the competition to present at the final Pitch to the Pack panel was stiff.

Going through the competition

Ten finalists moved on from the preliminary round, through a mentorship program and then onto the final Wells Fargo stage to present to a panel of judges. Each finalist gave a comprehensive presentation of their business idea, followed by questions from the judges. NC State alumnus Zach Hetzler took home first place with his concept, Verdia Diagnostics.

Verdia Diagnostics has developed a sensor that is able to preemptively detect diseases in greenhouse plant populations. The product is made of Faraday fabric, a unique conductive fabric woven with polyester yarns. This technology can be used to help improve crop yield for farmers and decrease the number of crops lost to disease.

“What makes our sensor very unique is that it’s very light and it’s also flexible, so it’s compliant to different plant tissues. It’s an electrochemical sensor, meaning that electrical signals are transferred across the sensor, and that’s how we actually measure what we’re measuring,” Hentzler said.

Spotlighting competitors from the Wilson College

Of the top five finalists, three had ties to the Wilson College of Textiles. Alumna Rysa Ruth came in second place with her concept Half-Time Stitches, a solution to the current lack of unique, stylish women’s sports merchandise. Associate Professor Ericka Ford and Cheryl Wooten placed fourth with their company, Nicelle Technologies, Inc., offering a domestic option for acrylic fibers. In fifth place, fashion design student Lainey Volz pitched her product the Button-Cup Shirt, a button-up designed for women who wear a D cup or larger.

A few members of the Wilson College were also presented with special awards at the event. Katie Watson, an undergraduate student in the Wilson College earned the Best Presenter award. Two graduate students also won awards with Becky Koch taking home the Most Innovative award and Killian Nowrey being presented with the Best Community Impact award.

Finalists competed not just for the cash prize associated with placing in the top five, but also for special awards. Five audience choice awards, each worth $1,000 to the winner, as well as the Andrews Launch Accelerator Award, and the First Flight Venture Center First Class Coworking Membership, were also given out.

The Wells Fargo Pitch to the Pack competition offers NC State students, graduates, staff and faculty the opportunity to share their entrepreneurial ideas with a panel of experienced judges. This event allows competitors to gain valuable experience and feedback, and for the winners, money to improve and launch their concept to the public.